Newsletter Archives

• Can DuckDuckGo raise enough money to give Google a scare?

  Posted on October 31, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.44 • 2022-10-31

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  People in a small but dedicated movement known as “degoogling” strive to avoid being tracked by the Google search giant. That’s a challenge, because Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., also compiles data on you through YouTube, the Play Store, and many other subsidiaries.

  A major alternative is a privacy-focused search engine with the weird name of DuckDuckGo. (Founder Gabriel Weinberg, soon to become a father, chose the moniker in 2008 after the children’s game Duck, Duck, Goose.) DDG, as the search engine is sometimes known, promises not to save searches you enter nor retain any information about you.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.44.0, 2022-10-31).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, privacy, Public Defender, search engines

• Windows’ built-in basics

  Posted on October 24, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Chris Husted • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.43 • 2022-10-24

  ACCESSIBILITY

  

  By Chris Husted

  When it comes to adaptive and assistive technologies, especially those found under Ease of Access in Windows Settings, most people think the extra functions do not apply to them, simply because they are not disabled.

  Nothing could be further from the truth.

  As Stephen Dawes, a long-time Plus member and a Senior IT Systems Analyst based in Calgary, Canada, points out, “When a technology is developed to help a specific group of people, and when it is done right, everyone benefits.”

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.43.0, 2022-10-24).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Accessibility, AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter Accessibility, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Windows 10, Windows 11

• How to use your Gmail account for more than just Gmail

  Posted on October 17, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.42 • 2022-10-17

  SOFTWARE

  

  By Lance Whitney

  With the Gmail website or app, you can add access to non-Gmail accounts.

  Those of you who have a Gmail account likely use the Gmail website or app to view and work with your Google email. But both the site and the app are more versatile than you may think. With either one, you’re able to add a non-Gmail account, such as one for Outlook or Yahoo. Here’s how this plays out.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.42.0, 2022-10-17).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Software AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Email Clients, Gmail, Software

• The state of Windows 11: A bit slow on the uptake

  Posted on October 10, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.41 • 2022-10-10

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  One year after the release of Windows 11, the new operating system is being installed by computer users at a much slower adoption rate than was achieved by Windows 10 and other major versions of Microsoft’s core OS.

  Counting all versions of Windows running on desktop computers worldwide, Windows 11, with a penetration of 13.6%, has only in the past two months overtaken the users of Windows 7 (10.6%), according to a September 2022 report by Statcounter. Just to state the obvious, the ancient Win7 OS was released by Microsoft way back in 2009.

  Meanwhile, good ol’ Windows 10 is still going strong, running on 71.9% of all Windows desktops globally, Statcounter says.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.41.0, 2022-10-10).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender, Windows 11

• Securing Windows 11 with 22H2

  Posted on October 3, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.40 • 2022-10-03

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  The recent Windows 11 update brings more security features, but with a big caveat — only users with specific license levels benefit.

  In addition, hardware requirements are tighter; I’ll discuss those shortly.

  I’ve received some key questions about Windows 11 from our readers, and I’m going to take the opportunity to answer some of those in this column.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.40.0, 2022-10-03).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Lady Posts, security, Windows 11

• Windows 11 2H22 released, mostly

  Posted on September 26, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.39 • 2022-09-26

  MICROSOFT NEWS

  

  By Will Fastie

  Well, it wasn’t really 2H22. It was 2022.

  The entire news cycle about Windows 11, starting with its announcement over 18 months ago, has been different. Maybe weird is a better descriptor.

  The announcement wasn’t an event; nothing was live. There wasn’t even a video from Panos Panay, who was simply noted as the author of a blog post. The surprise twist in all this, especially from the perspective of someone in the press, was that the announcement was not accompanied by a press release in Microsoft’s usual location. Instead, it was given its own microsite. The release was not mentioned on Microsoft’s home page and was noted only on the Windows page with an eyebrow link at the very top.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.39.0, 2022-09-26).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft News AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft News, Windows 11

• Stick A Note — It’s life-changing! No, really … life-changing

  Posted on September 19, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.38 • 2022-09-19

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  Is this freeware maven seriously going to shove another sticky-note program down our throats? Yes. Yes, I am.

  I am, because this is quite different. This will change the way you live! It’s on a par with the printing press! The cotton gin! This telephone! Okay, fine, it’s at least equal to the invention of fried pies!

  Anand Gupta, a wonderful, professional developer from West Bengal, India, has created a freeware program called Stick A Note that is considerably different from any sticky-note program you have ever used. Stick A Note does not put virtual sticky notes onto your desktop. It puts them on the windows of individual programs.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.38.0, 2022-09-19).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Freeware Spotlight AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, Freeware, Notes

• How to use Vivaldi for your email and calendar

  Posted on September 12, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.37 • 2022-09-12

  SOFTWARE

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Beyond its role as an alternative browser, Vivaldi will help you access your email, contacts, and calendar — all in the same place.

  Those of you in search of a simple but effective desktop email and calendar program probably tend to look at dedicated programs, such as Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, and even Windows Mail. But instead of turning to separate programs for these features, you may want to consider one that integrates directly with your Web browser. And for that, Vivaldi is worth checking out.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.37.0, 2022-09-12).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Software AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Calendar, Contacts, Email, Web Browsers

• Check the health of your systems

  Posted on September 5, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.36 • 2022-09-05

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  It’s time to ensure your computer is sound, the operating system is healthy, and your system is backed up.

  Why? Because a feature release is right around the corner: 22H2 for both Windows 10 and Windows 11 is due shortly. It’s not that I recommend that you move to those versions, at least not right away. But if you do decide to move ahead, it’s critical to be sure to do so safely, with your ability to retreat secured.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.36.0, 2022-09-05).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security antivirus, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, backup, browsers, drivers, Operating Systems, Patch Lady Posts, security, SSDs

• Cryptomator – a little foil on your head is quite fashionable

  Posted on August 29, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.35 • 2022-08-29

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  You can say you don’t trust the cloud with your files, but you do store files in the cloud. Your emails, your cat pictures on Facebook, your virtual farm in Farmville, your credit info, your bank account … yep, the cloud.

  But you don’t have to go all-in with full trust. Take matters into your own hands!

  I love my cloud storage services. I use Dropbox (my favorite), Google Drive (or whatever they’re calling it this week), OneDrive (will always be SkyDrive in my heart), and iCloud (we all make mistakes). Do I trust them to encrypt my data? Sure I do. Encrypt away, geeks! Do I also encrypt the files again from my end? Heck, yeah! Now, one might call me paranoid, but I’m really just a bit of a history buff. Words like “unhackable” and “uncrackable” sound an awful lot like “unsinkable” to me.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.35.0, 2022-08-29).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Freeware Spotlight AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, encryption, security

• Where to store your OneNote notebooks

  Posted on August 22, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Mary Branscombe • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.34 • 2022-08-22

  ONENOTE

  

  By Mary Branscombe

  OneNote is meant to be one place for all your notes, but even though it’s great to have one location to look at all your notes, you might want to have a bit more control about where those notes are actually stored.

  For many users, it might seem as if you didn’t have a choice: unless you’re using the Windows desktop version of OneNote and you paid for a license, your notebooks must be stored in OneDrive. That’s what allows them to sync onto any device you use — PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, or anything with a suitable Web browser.

  But even though your notebooks must be stored in OneDrive, they don’t need to be stored in the same OneDrive account you use for other things on that device. You can even open notebooks that are stored in someone else’s account, if they share them with you.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.34.0, 2022-08-22).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, OneNote AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Collaboration, Microsoft Accounts, OneDrive, OneNote, Synchronization

• Randy’s top 10 customer-support issues: Identified!

  Posted on August 15, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Randy McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.33 • 2022-08-15

  SUPPORT

  

  By Randy McElveen

  You hear pretty much everything when you’ve been in the computer-repair business for as long as I have, but you also hear a lot of the same questions and see the same issues on a daily basis.

  In this series of articles, I have one goal — to keep you out of stores like mine by giving you some tips on what to do when you experience any of the following problems or have any of these questions.

  Let’s start this week by simply identifying the most common things I see on a weekly basis, and then I’ll do a few follow-up articles to show what you can do to avoid me.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.33.0, 2022-08-15).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Support AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Customer satisfaction, hardware, malware, Software, Support
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